- Long'Er -

She was dragged across the ground, hauled up and over its bulky shoulder like a rag doll. She thrashed and kicked, but it was useless. The Wandering Ghoul's flesh was as tough as a gigantic tree trunk, its strength clearly amplified by black magic.

Where was it taking her? Wasn't it planning to kill her?

Unless...she was actually bait herself. Kidnapped in an attempt to lure someone else out.

Her hand tightened around the hilt of her dagger. Taking a sharp breath, she stabbed hard on the back of the beast, not just once but several times. And yet, with such a short blade, it couldn't deal as much damage as she wanted to the undead below her. Blood poured out of its wounds, but her assault was ignored. They moved through the darkness, and she could only watch on as trepidation surged within her.

They travelled for ages, before coming to a sudden halt before a pile of rubble – wait. On a closer look, it was actually a heap of decayed flesh and bones.

Bile rose in her throat.

She was thrown off the Wandering Ghoul's shoulder, landing painfully on the ground with a loud cry. As she recovered from the fall, the creature was busy extracting the dagger embedded in his flesh, ripping it off without showing any pain. Tossing her weapon aside, it advanced towards her, releasing a low growl.

Weaponless, she scrambled to her feet and attempted to outrun but a massive hand grabbed her ankle, yanking her backwards ruthlessly. A startled cry unleashed through the forest, only to realise that the voice belonged to none other than her.

A pair of red eyes leered at her, drawing back cracked lips to reveal rotten teeth and sending a putrid breath along her way. A calloused hand settled around her throat and lifted her off the ground, cutting off air in her throat. Choking her to death.

She struggled violently. Her lungs fought for air, but she was being held helpless. Black dots circled the edges of her vision, her blood pounding in her ears. Her hands dug and scratched away at the grisly creature, feeling her energy slipping away by the second.

When she was physically and mentally weakened, her hands fell to her sides.

Was this how it was going to end for her?

But...she didn't want to die. There were so many things she had yet to accomplish. So many unspoken words that she hadn't said to those she wanted to hear.

Regrets filled her heart.

Perhaps the gods heard her desperate plea. Something struck the back of the Wandering Ghoul, catching them both by surprise. A glint of silver flashed in the dark, the sharp edge of a sword ripped through its chest from behind mercilessly.

The hand around her throat loosened. She watched the crimson colour in the creature's eyes fade to black, its flesh crumbling as black mist seeped out of its wounds. They toppled to the ground; she was catching her breath while the creature lay beside her. Dead.

She was vaguely aware of a set of footsteps running towards her, accompanied with an orange orb that ignited the forest and outshone the stars in the sky. Warm arms picked her up and cradled her to someone's chest tightly. His scent was familiar to her as day. With her ear pressed against his pounding heart, she could feel how worried this man was, his breathing erratic.

She welcomed Li Xun's voice gratefully. "Are you hurt?" he asked in concern.

The warmth coming from his body was comforting and she relaxed in his arms. "N–no," she answered, clutching her throat where the creature had grabbed her at. The skin throbbed and she was certain there were red marks left on her skin.

His arms tightened around her, his voice was shaking as he spoke. "Hearing you scream like that..." he admitted. "I thought that I was going to lose you."

She buried her face into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his body, trembling as she recalled how close she was so close to being dead. Their surroundings were illuminated by the burning torch that Li Xun had brought along, one which he shoved the end of the stick into the soil during the midst of the fight. The flame was still roaring in the darkness.

"Thank you," she told him gratefully. "For coming to save me."

His fingers ran through her hair gently, brushing her hair back. He pulled away from her, hoping to get a good look at her condition.

But this made her freeze instantly.

Her stomach plummeted to her feet. She was doomed. She had forgotten an important fact – she was dressed in female clothes and her face was uncovered for the entire world to see!

Li Xue, it's all your fault!

Her hand flew up to cover the bottom-half of her face with her sleeve. She flinched and backed away from a surprised Li Xun, hiding herself behind one of the trees. Befuddled, he followed her but she darted behind another tree.

"Long'Er? What's wrong?"

The moment her name was uttered, she immediately wished she could dig a hole into the ground and bury herself in it. In spite of the getup that she was wearing, how did he know it was her? Did Li Xue divulge her secret?

"Y-your Highness, stop right there!"

He did. His face creased into a frown. "What're you doing?"

Mortification seared her cheeks. "H-how did you know it's me?" she asked meekly.

Understanding set in on Li Xun's face. A sheepish smile tugged at his lips as he raked his fingers through his hair, his gaze meeting hers.

"About your secret... I figured it out some time ago."

Horror descended upon her. "When?! When did you figure it out?"

"Hm..." He gave her a light shrug. "Why don't you try guessing?"

She was dumbfounded by his question and he took advantage of her silence to make his move. With slow footsteps, he rounded the tree to meet her. He pulled her hands away from her face and for the first time, he was able to see her for who she really was. Placing a finger under her chin, he lifted her head to take a good look at her without her mask.

She saw something shifted in his gaze and could only assume that he was displeased with her.

"How long were you intending to lie to me?"

"I–I–I apologise, Your Highness," she said weakly, knowing that she was deep in trouble. "But I can explain-"

But he raised a brow at her. "Disguising yourself as a male to enter the palace and lying to a prince? You deserve to be punished heavily."

Ashamed, she hung her head and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know that I deserve to be thrown into the dungeon."

"That's too light of a punishment," he disagreed. "Did you know how worried I was when Li Xue informed me you were missing? We thought we lost you."

"I-I apologise..."

She gnawed on her bottom lip, ashamed. The action didn't go unnoticed by Li Xun and he watched her with a heated gaze. "You're doing it again," he mumbled under his breath. "Seducing me like this over and over again..."

She thought that she heard him wrongly, but her eyes widened in surprise when he shot her a humoured look. "I just thought of a suitable punishment for you."

The first thought that came to her mind was execution. "Hear me out, Your Highness! I c-can explain myself–"

"Later," he answered and gently took her by the arm. "You can explain everything to me later but we need to leave this place first. Who knows how many of those things are still lurking around us."

He had a point. They weren't completely out of danger yet. The real mastermind who ordered her captive was still somewhere out there and could attack them anytime if they were to let their guard down for a second.

As Li Xun led her away, she clutched his hand tightly, feeling stronger in his presence.

Now that he was here, she wasn't afraid anymore.